The Immigration Department employs a 66-strong team of spin doctors, dwarfing the 39 media and communications staff employed by Prime Minister Tony Abbott and the ministers on his frontbench.

Last August, immigration employed 72 media staff, but the 66 officers who now work in the department's media unit are supported by a further 33 personnel who work on media operations and events in the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service.

Since taking the reins in September, Immigration Minister Scott Morrison has come under fire for repeatedly refusing to inform the public about how Australia repels asylum seekers at sea.

Advertisement

Last weekend, Mr Morrison admitted he had misled the public about what took place during the Manus Island riot, which left one man dead and scores injured, when he was forced to retract earlier assertions that most of the violence took place outside the centre after asylum seekers broke down the fence.

Fairfax Media asked the Immigration Department to comment on staffing levels, but was referred to Mr Morrison's media team who did not respond to questions.

Details of staffing levels were quietly tabled by the department last week in response to questions posed by Labor senator Joe Ludwig during budget estimates hearings in November. The staffing figures were correct as at November 19.

The documents show Mr Morrison's office spent $29,788 on media monitoring between September 7 and November 19.

The department spent a further $11,476 on media monitoring in that period, including $9056 for transcripts of Mr Morrison's weekly Operation Sovereign Borders briefings (which he has since abandoned).

Senator Ludwig said: ''Scott Morrison's army of spin doctors must have gone AWOL.

''For a minister that refuses to answer even the most basic questions put to him by the media and the public, this is simply outrageous.''

The media officers work on liaison, strategic communication, promotion and annual reports.